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We are given 30cm behind our lie (or about 1/4" less than 1 foot, 11 3/4"). Why does the player get to choose if the 30cm starts from the front or the back of the disc he/she threw? Does any other sport allow such a choice to be made by the player?

It seems to me that the lie should always be calculated from the front of the thown disc, yet there is no place in the rules (at least, I couldn't find it anywhere) that establishes this.

I think a player that chooses to leave their thrown disc on the ground as their lie must keep their stance for the next shot within 30cm of the front of disc, not the back. Yet, it seems to be widely accepted to not even question why we have two acceptable lies to choose from.

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Maybe make marking your lie with a mini mandatory? Just a thought, not an opinion.

That used to be the rule, but it was found to aid the speed of play by allowing players to use their thrown disc as the marker. I like that rule because I almost always opt to just throw from my disc, plus I like having the extra element of strategy if you're stuck behind a tree or something.

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I couldn't agree more that it is nice to choose because it does add that element of strategy, but should it? I know that ball golf needs a different set of rules because it is a different sport, but could you imagine an option of choosing where your lie could be placed in a sport that is so founded on the old saying, "you must play it from where it lies"?

Either way it is the discrepancy that I don't like. How about just making it 50cm from the front of the thrown disc or the rear of the marker disc. This would include the full range we are given now and it would clear up any confusion.

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To some extent, the rule that allows the disc to be used as a marker is also safety related (not hitting your hand on a trunk), which can make a difference if your thrown disc is just behind a tree trunk. Disc golf is not really a game where we "play it where it lies" like ball golf. We "take a stance from where it lies" but the disc release point for the next throw can be from any of a thousand different release points in space.

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All the same, my problem is still in the discrepancy with the way the rule is worded. I agree that a longer line, of which, a player gets to choose where they mark their lie not only resolves some safety issues but also gives some strategy to the players game.

It just seems crazy to me that when a player asks me about this rule at one of my tourneys, I have to tell them that they have 30cm from behind their thrown disc or they have 30 cm from behind their marker disc. Especially since the player can't put their thrown disc back down after picking it up. We allow a group decission for marking a lie with other lie mishaps, why not this one as well?

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It just seems crazy to me that when a player asks me about this rule at one of my tourneys, I have to tell them that they have 30cm from behind their thrown disc or they have 30 cm from behind their marker disc.

That's not what you tell them. They have 30cm behind their marker disc. The "marker" is defined as a mini if used, or the thrown disc if it's lying flat on the ground and they choose to use it as their marker.

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The lie is whatever those who write the rules want it to be. There's no natural answer like ball golf where the ball is played from where it lies. Given a choice, I would prefer we went back to the original rule that required a mini marker be used. I'm not sure 50 cm would be easier to judge for foot faults than 30cm since 30cm is closer to the size of a player's foot.